Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

Camel2281 said:
Full game in Cup with Latu as 14 in NRL who can cover 6, 7, 13 and 9 is the best course of action
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Wont be happening ..ADS is too good for Cup now and Api is declining and needs more time on the bench himself ..

ADS is No 2 hooker at the club now and needs to be ready to take over as starting 9 if Api is injured so get him up to speed agsinst NRL opposition
 
2041 said:
I never really understand this. I mean, if it was just a question of doing a really hard pre-season surely everyone would just do that? It's not like it's a trade secret or something. I suspect Melbourne are actually doing lots and lots of things right, it's just that the ones that involve working really hard get noticed because that's the kind of thing fans (a) understand and (b) put most weight on.

The other thing is, presumably Blore did at least one preaseason with Penrith - I know he didn't play first grade there but he was in their setup aged 19-20 so would have done preseason. If that was also much less demanding than Melbourne it suggests to me how hard you get worked in the preseason isn't actually that much of a guide to success, seeing as how Penrith seem to have managed to be competitive in recent years.
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They mix some brilliant ideas with some absolutely rotten ones. And they push those ideas HARD. Current and former Storm players are explicitly not allowed to discuss training practices or say anything in public that validate the perception that the Storm deliberately and relentlessly look for ways to dominate teams by wrestling. If they do they're out of the clubs inner sanctum.

- - Nothing to hide, nothing to fear eh.
 
BlackWhiteGold said:
Royce Hunt called Corey Horsburgh a ‘weak-gutted dog’. Now he hopes they become teammates

By

Christian Nicolussi

Royce Hunt has inked a three-year deal with the Wests Tigers – now he hopes to be joined by one-time nemesis, and the man he famously labelled a “weak-gutted dog”, Corey Horsburgh.

The Tigers announced on Tuesday they had signed Hunt until the end of 2027 after Cronulla agreed to cut the Samoan international loose from the remaining 12 months of his deal.

Hunt will add some experience and grunt to the pack – and if things go to plan, fiery Raiders forward Horsburgh will be joining him at the joint venture next year.

The pair memorably clashed during a game in 2023, with Hunt saying at the time, “I’ve never seen a front-rower hide behind his halfback”. Horsburgh later posted a meme of him holding a baby, with Hunt’s face superimposed, and the caption: “Really happy for my little boy watching Daddy score two tries”.

Horsburgh was suspended for the return bout late last season, but Hunt told this masthead at the time: “I still have a debt to settle with him. Hopefully he doesn’t cry this time. If he wants a challenge, we’ll lock horns and see who comes out on top. I’m a bit heavier than him. He’s got that ‘dad bod’.”

Hunt was delighted to have sorted his future, and said he would love the chance to strike up an on-field combination with ‘Big Red’.

“I spoke to their recruitment guy and [the Tigers] are keen on Big Red. He’s a good guy and would be a great buy,” Hunt told this masthead. “I was actually at Canberra with him for a while. We’re two guys who won’t back down. If they get him, we can go there and ramp up their forward pack.

“I’m sure we’ll get into the wrestling room and throw down a few times. I haven’t seen him since that game in Canberra.”

The 29-year-old met with Tigers coach Benji Marshall at a local cafe in Padstow, and liked his vision. Jarome Luai, a fellow Samoan, is also bound for Concord next year and Dragons utility Jack Bird was spotted taking a tour of the Tigers’ facilities on Tuesday.

“I met Benji on Monday last week, and it moved really fast. It was pretty much done Tuesday. He was pretty cool. He said to me there were a lot of kids, and he wanted someone with experience to get to that next level.

“I told him, ‘I can help you with that’, and how at the Sharks we had built a good culture where the young boys weren’t afraid to ask for help, and they know ‘steel sharpens steel’. If they come for our spots every week, it makes the older boys better, the younger boys better, and it raises the overall standards at the club.

“He also spoke about me wanting to play more minutes, and I told him I’d earn every minute you give me.”

Hunt was given permission to test the market in June because of the abundance of middle forwards at Cronulla.

After the Sharks added Addin Fonua-Blake to a pack that already featured Braden Hamlin-Uele, Tom Hazelton, Oregon Kaufusi, Toby Rudolf, Jack Williams and Jesse Colquhoun, Hunt was resigned to continuing his career elsewhere.

South Sydney showed brief interest, but the Tigers moved quickly following the departures of middle men Stefano Utoikamanu and Isaiah Papali’i, who play their last games on Friday at a packed Campbelltown Sports Stadium before linking with Melbourne and Penrith respectively.
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I think he’ll be disappointed at the state of our wrestling room. If we even have one
 
2041 said:
I never really understand this. I mean, if it was just a question of doing a really hard pre-season surely everyone would just do that? It's not like it's a trade secret or something. I suspect Melbourne are actually doing lots and lots of things right, it's just that the ones that involve working really hard get noticed because that's the kind of thing fans (a) understand and (b) put most weight on.

The other thing is, presumably Blore did at least one preaseason with Penrith - I know he didn't play first grade there but he was in their setup aged 19-20 so would have done preseason. If that was also much less demanding than Melbourne it suggests to me how hard you get worked in the preseason isn't actually that much of a guide to success, seeing as how Penrith seem to have managed to be competitive in recent years.
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didn’t Madge try and push harder training when he was at the WT?

And from what we heard, how did that go down with the playing group? No bueno was the rumours

it’s not easy to turn around a culture…

Talent wise , this Storm team is a lot weaker than some of their previous versions … but there they are again with the minor premiership wrapped up weeks out from the finals … they sure as hell do something right there
 
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Tom Shines said:
didn’t Madge try and push harder training when he was at the WT?

And from what we heard, how did that go down with the playing group? No bueno was the rumours

it’s not easy to turn around a culture…

Talent wise , this Storm team is a shadow of previous versions … but there they are again with the minor premiership wrapped up weeks out from the finals … they sure as hell do something right there
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Agree.

It's about intensity. It's very difficult to raise intensity of training unless a few players are setting a high standard.

From all reports, 19 year old Galvin is setting the standard at WT.
 
Tom Shines said:
didn’t Madge try and push harder training when he was at the WT?

And from what we heard, how did that go down with the playing group? No bueno was the rumours

it’s not easy to turn around a culture…

Talent wise , this Storm team is a lot weaker than some of their previous versions … but there they are again with the minor premiership wrapped up weeks out from the finals … they sure as hell do something right there
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And when ciraldo pushed hard the bulldogs were accused of bullying because a player couldn’t keep up…the players need to have the right psyche to achieve.
 
Tom Shines said:
didn’t Madge try and push harder training when he was at the WT?

And from what we heard, how did that go down with the playing group? No bueno was the rumours

it’s not easy to turn around a culture…

Talent wise , this Storm team is a lot weaker than some of their previous versions … but there they are again with the minor premiership wrapped up weeks out from the finals … they sure as hell do something right there
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Depends on how you approach the situation. You can have very different approaches to working your team hard. Yelling and swearing at your players is much different to getting in the ears of your key players and getting them to drive the standards.

Agreed that culture is hard to change but we have never had the type of players in our team to drive this. The addition of Luai will give another voice besides Api which will take the world off Api's shoulders. Hunt will grab the young forwards under his wings and drive a new standard with them as well. He's a tough bastard.
 
weststigerman said:
Agree.

It's about intensity. It's very difficult to raise intensity of training unless a few players are setting a high standard.

From all reports, 19 year old Galvin is setting the standard at WT.
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yes , I agree about Galvin …

I have said previously that I think it’s amazing that Galvin came into this previous offseason at the Tigers … 18 yrs old and his first with the NRL team .. and immeadiately became the fittest trainer in the team…winning a lot of their athletic challenges

Good for Galvin … but not great that he immeadiately showed everyone else up..

I also love the story that every rookie that goes to the Storm has to spend time working hard doing labouring on building sites for a period … hardens them up and also motivates them to see how relatively easy training and playing footy is in comparison … supposedly more than a few haven’t been prepared to tough it out and go back to Sydney … probably a few have landed at WT
 
Demps said:
Could Sione join his brother in the backrow?
Or do we consider him exclusively as a front row forward?
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I like him at 13.
Think the 10, 11 and 13 are all up for grabs in the off season depending on other signings reckon there's about 5 players that fit into these 3 spots, great for internal competition.
 
palms said:
Depends on how you approach the situation. You can have very different approaches to working your team hard. Yelling and swearing at your players is much different to getting in the ears of your key players and getting them to drive the standards.

Agreed that culture is hard to change but we have never had the type of players in our team to drive this. The addition of Luai will give another voice besides Api which will take the world off Api's shoulders. Hunt will grab the young forwards under his wings and drive a new standard with them as well. He's a tough bastard.
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In the gym maybe but I doubt he’ll be pushing them during sprints Malcom’s and beep tests 😂
 
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